Cindy Struys of Armstrong Garden Centers in Claremont constructed a miniature salsa garden in a wine barrel, filling it with Indian mint, Roma tomatoes, jalapenos and other tasty delights. Grouping plants together makes for easier harvesting as long as you don’t crowd. Many thrive next to each other. (Photo by Suzanne Sproul)

Adding a fun factor is a great way to teach children the benefits of gardening that can lead to a lifelong hobby. (Photo Suzanne Sproul)

Creating certain segments of your garden for special plantings, whether it’s for cocktails or salsa, is a fun and healthy endeavor. (Photo courtesy Armstrong Garden Centers)

Growing segmented gardens isn’t just for homeowners. Many restaurants and bars maintain them in order to serve the freshest dishes and drinks to guests. (Photo courtesy Farmscape)

Gardens produce beautiful sweet-smelling flowers and provide refuge for insects and birds. And now they can make parties merrier.

Move over home juices and smoothies and make room for mimosas and margaritas. Fresh salsa, anyone? How about homemade spaghetti sauce? Sprinkle pansy petals into your next salad? Sure! It’s a whole new take on the idea of a garden party.

“For a salsa garden, plant tomatoes in the back, three peppers in the front and then herbs. Don’t forget onions and garlic. Cilantro, too,” said Laura Hermanson, a co-founder of Farmscape, which has offices in Los Angeles and Oakland. “Not only do homegrown fruits and vegetables taste better the quicker they come out of the ground, but if you’re able to pull, especially in the summer, a couple of dishes from your garden, you’ve reduced your carbon footprint.”

Garden get-togethers and backyard bartending go hand-in-hand, making it a no-brainer for those who have a green thumb and a flair for hosting cocktail parties or any other party for that matter. But don’t limit your edible landscape only for cocktails. Plant and harvest plots set aside for dishes or ethnic foods you love. Get your children involved by planting carrots, radishes and other vegetables that grow quickly.

Spring planting is in full swing. Invest in tomato bushes, berry plants, basil, peppermint, onions, cucumbers and herbs such as rosemary, oregano and pineapple sage. And then enjoy the bounty.

Edible landscaping allows gardeners to enjoy the health benefits of harvesting and eating what they grow. And adding a theme makes the process more fun. Whether it’s a “salsa” or “Italian garden” of oregano, basil, thyme and tomatoes, or a “whatever-you-fancy” garden, know your ingredients, says Lucy Heyming, a Riverside County master gardener.

“Edible landscaping certainly has a fun factor to it, and it also can add color and texture to your yard. Best of all, you can eat it,” she said with a chuckle.

Plant your choices next to each other where you can to simplify the process. Also include structure and thought for maximum success and to cut down on waste. Use raised beds, both Hermanson and Heyming suggest, to consolidate space, make it easier to access and help control pests.

“With two raised beds you can produce 100 pounds of produce if you actively plant and plan appropriately,” Hermanson said. “Plant with the seasons.”

Dishes or cocktails made of fresh edible landscaping also provide fodder for great conversation. For example, one of Hermanson’s favorite drinks is a basil gimlet, a variation of the traditional one using vodka or gin with lime juice and simple syrup along with basil.

Home gardeners aren’t the only ones creating their own edible plots.

“Cocktail gardens have been around for some time, either in small-scale restaurants or in larger establishments,” David Saenz, a bartender at Vaca in Costa Mesa, said in an email. “There are many things to consider when implementing a fresh farm-to-table style program. Places that cater to larger volume have a more difficult time of keeping up with the demand of the business, especially when space becomes an issue. Garnishes, be it herbs or a citrus tree, are not as difficult to maintain, but when they become a larger portion of what is being served, they can become unrealistic and even detrimental.”

Yet, the art of the cocktail shows no signs of fading with so many incredible takes and twists with infusions of fruits, vegetables and herbs.

“I do not currently garden at home, but when I was younger we grew a vast variety of vegetables and herbs,” Saenz said. “For me, the fresher the better, so when the opportunity presents itself, I’m all about using my green thumb.”

A friend once gave Saenz white nectarines from his garden. Saenz used them to make a drink referred to as a shrub, and substituted it in a Mezcal margarita of sorts. He called it “Short, Light, and Chingon,” and it became the best-selling cocktail that season.

Another friend and a fellow bartender, Marinna Wilkinson of Fullerton, says that many restaurants have moved away from pre-made packaged mixes, opting for fresh ingredients where possible.

“It makes a huge difference in the reception of our cocktails,” Wilkinson said. “Everyone wants skinny drinks that are a bit healthier with less sugar.”

Fresh fruit and muddled berries in drinks are preferred, but men tend to choose the herb-infused drinks with basil, sage and thyme while women often opt for the sweeter ones.

Wilkinson works at the King’s Fish House in Orange, a place that uses as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible, something customers desire.

“Cocktails still are on equal footing with the craft beer explosion,” she said. “Many bars and restaurants have invested time and effort into the research and development of their cocktail programs because people, millennials especially, like innovative things that are new and slightly avant-garde.”

Wilkinson has a small garden at home that she taps.

“I think you should garden with a purpose and use what you grow,” she said.

Of course, don’t forget the landscaping part of “edible landscaping.” Not only do many vegetables and herbs provide a continual source of fresh food, but many also dot gardens with lovely flowers and various colors of leaves and, along with edible flowers such as violets, bachelor buttons, borage and nasturtium, result in patches of beauty in the yard, according to garden experts.

Recipe

Short, Light, and Chingon

Ingredients

1/2 ounce Agave

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

3/4 ounce White Nectarine Shrub

2 oz. Xicaru Mezcal

Expressed grapefruit oils

Directions Combine ingredients, shake and serve over fresh ice in a rocks glass.

Suzanne Sproul is a lucky wife and proud mom of two great daughters. She’s a transplanted Snow Bird from Chicago who prefers warm climates, particularly central Florida and its beautiful Gulf Coast and Southern California, where she’s lived most of her life. The University of Florida J-school graduate has been a city reporter and features editor, but has spent the past 27 fun years covering stories she loves -- features about SoCal’s diverse and trendy homes+gardens and eclectic arts/entertainment along with her weekly column about the good people of the Inland Empire. When she’s not filing stories, you can find her gardening at home, biking with her husband, jumping around in Zumba class, organizing family adventures – digging for hanksite clusters at the Gem-o-Rama in Trona, anyone? – or rooting for favored sports teams. I’m looking at you USC Trojans, University of California Davis Aggies, University of Florida Gators and those loveable Chicago Cubs, World Champions 2016. Life really is good!

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